The present invention relates to a hanger system and method useful in the taxidermy industry to assist in the process of preparing animals and animal parts/heads/skins for display. The term “animals” is intended to include fish, reptiles, and other living things.
The art of taxidermy (i.e., preparing, stuffing, and mounting skins, heads, horns, parts of animals) takes considerable time, effort, and skill, and there are numerous steps in the process. It is not uncommon for a taxidermist to work on a work piece (e.g., animal skin/head/horns/parts and mounting board), and then leave the work piece for a while (e.g., to let it dry or set, or until the taxidermist is ready for a next step in the process). Adjustable holding stands help considerably, because they allow the work piece to be manipulated to a best position for doing work. However, taxidermists usually have a limited number of stands. As a result, the work piece is repeatedly put on the stand for work, and then taken off the stand and set aside while the taxidermist works on another work piece. The process of repeated attachment/detachment can be a problem since taxidermists often work alone (and/or a second person is not immediately available), and it is difficult to both hold the work piece and operate a screw driver to attach it to the adjustable stand.
By way of example, the shape of a deer's head begins with a foam support supported by a mounting board such as plywood. In one known method of attachment, the mounting board is attached to a holding stand by multiple screws that securely connect the mounting board to a plate on the adjustable holding stand. The animal's skin/head/horns are placed on, arranged, and fixed to the model support during various steps. The work piece must at all times be securely held so that it does not fall or become damaged while attaching or detaching the skin/head/horns to the adjustable stand. The difficulty in attachment/detachment is both because of bulkiness as well as weight (i.e., deer heads and antlers are often 20+ pounds, while larger game such as an African Kudu antelope can have a head weighing 75+ pounds). Further, since most taxidermists work alone, it is inconvenient to get assistance every time a work piece must be removed and a new one attached to the stand. I personally have experienced the difficulties of supporting a work piece while trying to secure it to an adjustable stand. It has been a problem for years, and I do not see anyone satisfactorily solving this problem.
There is a long felt need for a device and system that allows a taxidermist to detach and/or reattach a work piece (including an animal skin and/or head and/or foam-model and/or mounting board) to an adjustable stand without assistance, and specifically without the need to have a second person help in the attachment/detachment process. Further, a device and system is needed that is non-complex, that does not result in multiple additional parts and pieces, and that does not result in the use of expensive parts and pieces.